Legends of Lightstorm Saga 1, Episode 8: Sisters in Arms
by Mutrox
Summary: Raye's recovery is put to the test when Jadeite and a squadron of drones return to M-Space looking for payback, and the Sailor Scouts are divided as they fight the enemy on multiple fronts. Meanwhile, deep in the bowels of the Negaverse, Zoisite approaches Tridymite with a shady proposition.
1. Visiting Hours

"Okay, here's one: who would win in a fight between Steel Thunder and Pulverox 9 at their current strength levels, but they haven't met each other beforehand?"

Lita turned the page in her comic book and furrowed her brow, deep in thought. "Does the battle take place in a tachyon zone?"

"Nope." Raye shook her head, adjusting the grip on her own comic book.

"It's a close fight, but I think Steel Thunder would win. But Pulverox would beat him if you'd let him use his Overdrive Core."

"Yeah, good point."

"Hey, guys!" Serena strode into the small room, a huge smile on her face. Under her arm was a large white box. Luna bounded in behind her, following closely at her feet.

"Hey, Moon!" Lita turned in her lawn chair and waved. "What'd you bring me?"

"These cookies are for Raye, so don't get any ideas." Serena pulled up another chair and sat down in it backwards. "How're you feeling, Raye?"

"I'd feel better if this bed didn't smell like burned wires," Raye said, propping herself upright. "But I've had worse."

"Here, these might help." Serena handed her the box as Luna jumped into Lita's lap.

"Aw, thanks Serena." Raye opened the box. After a moment, her face twisted into a confused frown. "Hey, half of these are missing."

Serena stifled a burp. "Uh… really?"

Luna sighed and placed her paw over her face.

"Well, it's the thought that counts, I guess." Raye passed a cookie over to Lita and took another for herself.

"You _are_ feeling better, aren't you, Raye?" Luna asked, sounding concerned.

Raye took a bite of her cookie. "Yeah, I'm alright. Jason's been taking real good care of me, so I'm getting better. He's still not much fun to talk to, though."

"Well, that's why we're here," Serena said cheerfully. "So, what's on your mind?"

"We're doing fantasy fights while we read these comic books," Lita explained, finishing her cookie. "Want a go?"

"Sure!" Serena thought for a moment. "Okay, who would win in a fight between Xenotas from _Neon Vengeance_ and Chaingun from _Ultimation_?"

Lita and Raye thought about it. "Are we talking about a straight-up fistfight or can they use weapons?" Lita asked.

"Um… weapons. Everything they have in their series'."

Raye thought some more. "Okay, so are we giving them both unlimited ammo, and if we're not, how much ammo do they have for each weapon?"

Serena considered. "How about… unlimited ammo for normal weapons, but one full magazine for special and heavy weapons."

"I'm gonna say… Xenotas," Lita decided, scratching Luna's neck. Luna's purring echoed slightly in the mostly-bare room. "She's fast enough to dodge all of Chaingun's normal ammo types."

"No way, Chaingun's accelerator cannon can hit anything. Xenotas doesn't stand a chance," Raye argued.

"But only if she has time to calibrate it to her enemy's movement patterns," Lita pointed out. "Xenotas wouldn't give her the time she needs."

"Chaingun would have more than enough time if she used Xenotas' pulse cannons to charge up her transduction barriers."

"Except Xenotas only switches to her pulse cannons after her kinesis blades have been expended. There's no way she'd switch over beforehand."

"Unless she figured Chaingun had a resistance to her kinesis energy, which she would after seeing Chaingun's armor."

"Not necessarily. Xenotas can-" Lita cut herself as Jason entered the room, wearing his usual, serious expression . A steaming cup of tea rested in his hands.

"Hey, Jason!" Serena said. "Who would win in a fight between Xenotas from _Neon Vengeance_ and Chaingun from _Ultimation_?"

Jason looked at her for a moment, saying nothing. Wordlessly, he handed the cup to Raye.

"Oh, thanks." Raye accepted the cup and took a sip.

Jason held up his pocket scanner and waved it over Raye. "You should be fully healed by the day after tomorrow."

"Good. It'll be nice to sleep in my own bed again."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Serena broke in. "Your grandpa keeps asking questions, and I'm running out of excuses."

"You said impersonating me wouldn't be a problem," Raye said, sipping some more tea.

"Yeah, that was before I actually started doing it. And imitating your voice is starting to hurt."

"At least you're not doing my homework, too. Poor Amy's been working around the clock and I think it's starting to wear on her."

"What do you think she'll buy with all of our money?"

"After what you guys are putting her through, therapy," Lita commented dryly.

"Can we stop talking about homework? My head's starting to hurt," Serena moaned.

"Here. This might help." Raye begrudgingly handed Serena a cookie. Serena perked up immediately and thanked her. Raye held one out to Jason, but he declined. He ran one last check on his pocket scanner, then silently turned and walked out of the room.

Lita bit down on her cookie and chewed thoughtfully. "Okay, my turn. Who'd win in a fight between Multiverse Man and Chid Chaos?"


	2. Confidentiality

Zoisite limped down the dark crystal corridor, her ears still ringing. A salty iron taste washed across her tongue as she gritted her teeth, fighting to block out the agony. Spots swam before her eyes, pulsing with every breath she forced down her trachea. As her head sagged under its own weight, Zoisite shut her eyes to avoid looking at the gaping patches of flesh that had been covered by skin only an hour ago.

Having decided to bite the proverbial bullet, Zoisite had summoned her courage and gone to Queen Beryl. The Queen liked many things, and one of those things was flattery. Zoisite wasn't especially skilled in the arts of the silver tongue, but figured it was better than having to endure another day of Jadeite's abuse.

Unfortunately, Zoisite hadn't planned on Beryl being in an especially foul mood. The Queen of the Negaverse had just received another report of the Continuum's condition, and was looking for someone or something to take it out on. Too late, Zoisite realized that its request had only angered the monarch.

Beryl had chained Zoiste in place and summoned a few of her subjects. Without a second of hesitation, the Queen had drawn a blade and started hacking away at Zoisite's body. All Zoisite could do was scream.

Fighting back was pointless. Any resistance would only worsen the punishment. The only thing that could be done was to give Queen Beryl what she wanted.

Beryl declared that this was what was done to those who disobeyed her. Zoisite would have cried tears of impotent rage at the statement, if a creature like Zoisite could cry. As it was, Zoisite settled for screaming the cries of agony that the Queen found so pleasing.

Out the corridor flew Zoisite's male body, floating silently above the dark crystal floor. Without a word, he reached down and picked up the female body, cradling her in his arms. Despite the awkward situation, Zoisite allowed itself to enjoy the sensation. If nothing else, it helped ease the pain.

Tuneless humming echoed through the air as the male body strode through the doorway. Tridymite looked up from a tray of instruments he appeared to be cleaning. "Ah, Zoisite. Back for another riveting discussion about drone behavioral programming?"

The male body looked him dead in the eyes. "Fix me," he ordered simply.

Tridymite gestured to the examination table. "I will as soon as you stop touching yourself."

"That gets funnier every time I hear it," Zoisite said sourly, walking over the table. Gently he deposited the female body on the cold surface, brushing away a strand of hair from her face as he did so.

"So, Beryl's still angry about the Continuum, I take it," Tridymite remarked casually. The needle in his hand gleamed in the light as he filled it with some kind of blue liquid.

"I thought you and your science club were supposed to fix it," Zoisite said.

"We already did. That's the problem." Both of Zoisite's bodies flinched as Tridymite jammed the needle into the female body. "Of course, it wouldn't be if you and Jadeite would do your jobs."

"Yes, well, easier said than done. Serenity's Folly has made the Sailor Scouts more dangerous than they have any right to be."

"I've heard worse excuses."

Zoisite's eyes narrowed. "Have you ever faced the Mistake in battle, Tridymite?"

"Can't say that I have."

"Then you have no idea what you're talking about."

"Is he really that bad?"

"Let me put it this way." Zoisite sucked in a sharp breath as Tridymite spread some thick gel over a nasty-looking wound. "Have you ever heard of the Seven Shadows?"

"Just bits and pieces, really."

"Back during the old days, when the Mistake fought for the Remnants, Queen Rokiken assembled an elite team of Negaverse scientists for a very important task. The scientists created the Seven Shadows for the sole purpose of killing the Abomination."

"So they were drones?"

"No. They were something else: fully-sentient warriors forged in the deepest darkness to counter the Mistake's light."

"What happened?"

"He destroyed them all singlehandedly at the same time." Zoisite shut both sets of eyes.

Tridymite made an absentminded "hm" noise. "Then one would think that killing the Mistake would grant one favor with Her Grace."

"One would," Zoisite agreed. Waves of relief were beginning to wash over the female body, causing the male body to relax. "And I would have taken his worthless life before the Sailor Scouts became so dangerous, if I hadn't been made Jadeite's pet."

"Didn't you already have two shots at him before Jadeite became your Commanding Officer?"

Zoisite's faces grew hard. "There were… unforeseen circumstances. I didn't anticipate his continuing resourcefulness."

"I suppose you also can't be blamed for a Sailor Scouts becoming a TAGless just to help him," Tridymite shrugged. "But now that Jadeite's calling the proverbial shots, it looks like you'll either have to deal with it or go after him when Jadeite's not making you feed him."

Zoisite's thoughts swirled like a murky lake on a moonless night. Smoothly, he flew to the doorway and peered out into the corridor. There was no one there. Zoisite began speaking through the female body. "Or… Jadeite's situation could be… altered."

Tridymite paused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if Jadeite happened to be an unfortunate, shall we say, victim of circumstance?"

"I suppose Queen Beryl would have to replace him."

"And suppose, at the same time, a third party were to come forward with something she wants at the same time. Something like… the Mistake's head on a pike?"

"I'd imagine Her Majesty would be quite grateful. She might even reward this third party. Maybe even handsomely so."

"And suppose again that this third party would be grateful to whoever had done certain favors for him or her. This fourth party might find itself in very enviable standing in the Negaverse."

For a long moment, Tridymite said nothing. Zoisite anxiously waited for his response, not knowing if he would agree or tell Jadeite. People had been tortured to death for less than what she had just suggested.

Eventually, Tridymite cast a wary glance at the door, leaned in close to Zoisite's ear, and whispered "What did you have in mind?"


	3. Teammates

The midday sun shined down from the cloudless sky. Wind blew across the land, carrying with it the scent of the sea and the sounds of the city. The breeze swept Mina's hair into her face, causing her to absentmindedly brush it away.

Sailor Venus rested atop Tokyo Skytree, relaxing in a hammock of chains she had woven for herself. With one hand she held a half-eaten energy bar. With the other, she scrolled through the menus on her phone, checking texts and deleting apps she didn't need.

Turning on the camera, Mina twisted around and snapped a shot of the city. Smiling slightly, she saved the picture and went back to texting her friends.

Despite having worked alone for years, Mina had found it surprisingly easy to switch over to fighting with other Sailor Scouts. In the beginning, Artemis had stated that there were others, but the years had dragged on without so much as a trace of them, forcing Mina to become stronger and stronger to fight on her own. But then, when the others had been revealed, Mina had been overjoyed to finally work with other Sailor Scouts.

At first.

Mina hadn't lied when she said it was nice to have backup. At the time, she genuinely was glad to finally be part of a team. But that was before she had begun to settle down and really look at the way things were done.

Back during the old days, everything had been handled by her. Every move, every operation, every excursion into the night city had been stored in her head. It wasn't ideal (and sometimes she forgot things she was supposed to remember), but it was efficient, it was flexible, and it was fast.

But a team was different. With a team you had a chain of command. You had different methods of deployment. And you had more people who could screw up.

Despite her best efforts, Mina had been feeling a little constrained when it came to operations. From what she had seen, the team didn't even seem to have a clear leader. The old man seemed more interested in teaching than leading, Jupiter and Mars were primarily fighters, Mercury had more book-smarts than fight-smarts, and Moon… Well, Mina didn't like to think it, but the girl seemed like a bit of a dumbass. Granted, a dumbass with a cool energy disk and a sonic blast, but when your fighting style centered around _screaming_…

A sharp beep interrupted her thoughts. Mina stuffed her empty wrapper into her pocket. "Hey."

"Hey V, can you help us settle something?" Raye asked through the comm channel.

"Sure."

"Does Chid Chaos still have the Cauldron of Souls in the comics?"

"Um…" The wind started picking up. Mina put away her phone and used her hand to shield the watch. "No. Last year he lost it to Infinity Major during the Toclafane Gambit story arc."

"Told ya." Raye said to someone on the other end.

"I haven't read that one in awhile, okay?" It sounded like Serena.

"What are you guys even doing?" Mina asked, not sure if she wanted to know.

"Fantasy fights. Want a go?"

The wind rocked the hammock slightly, causing Mina to stiffen the chains with her mind. "Thanks, but I'll pass."

"It sounds kind of windy on your end." This time it was Lita. "Where are you?"

Mina glanced to the side. "The top of Tokyo Skytree."

"What? What are you doing over in Sumida?" Raye again.

"This is where I go to get away from it all."

"What's wrong with hanging out with us in the base?" Lita asked.

"Look: we all have our own private places where we go to unwind, and this is mine," Mina said, a little defensively.

"Okay, well, if you want to hang out, you know where to find us."

"Thanks." Mina hung up.

For a few minutes the girl sat in silence. _Well, that could have gone better_, she found herself thinking. Did things used to be this way back in the old days? Artemis hadn't told her much about how the Sailor Scouts had operated back then (though, in all fairness, she had never thought to ask), but things didn't seem quite right somehow.

A sinking feeling crept into Mina's thoughts. She didn't read comic books as much as Serena did, but she had watched enough TV and seen enough movies to know that sometimes teams had an antisocial loner who just didn't work well with the others. Could she be that member on this team of Sailor Scouts?

Mina massaged her temples. She needed a drink, preferably something cold and sweet. Maybe there was a café or something close by.

The girl climbed out of the hammock, dispelling the chains as she did so. For a moment, she considering coming down from the tower like a normal person. She chuckled to herself. Gathering her strength, she positioned her legs under her and pushed off from the tower.

Adrenaline rushed through her system as the familiar feeling of weightlessness overtook her. A dangerous grin spread across her face. Thrusting her hand out, Mina fired a chain, latching it onto the side of the tower. Whipping around the structure, the girl back flipped in midair and aimed for another set of buildings. This wasn't the time to worry about people seeing her. This was the time to clear her head.

###

Serena stared at Raye's communicator watch. "Did she sound okay to you?"

"Maybe she's just having an off day," Lita suggested, brushing crumbs off the Autobot symbol on her t-shirt.

Raye looked like she was chewing something over. "Who climbs to the top of the Skytree just to get a moment to herself? Did she really go to Sumida just to get away from us?"

"I dunno. I just hope she's not mad at us or anything."

"We should do something with her. I mean, it's not like we really hang out like normal people that much," Lita pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right." Serena got a look on her face. "Hey, I'm gonna get something to wash these cookies down with. You guys want something?"

"Sure."

"Sure."

"Hey Jason, where do you keep the food?" Serena called, walking out of the room. Jason apparently wasn't within earshot, because silence was her only answer.

Serena wandered through the base, searching for whatever room Jason used as a kitchen. She noticed that there seemed to be more decorations and homey touches as she passed through the various corridors, and, not for the first time, made a mental note to contribute something.

As she searched for the kitchen that she was beginning to doubt existed, Serena walked through one of the work areas Jason had set up. She paused, glancing down at the contents of one of the tables.

Spread across one of the workbenches was a pile of thin strips of paper. Some were blank, but others contained lettering. Something stirred in Serena's memory, and she grabbed several of the sheets.

Before long, Serena returned to Raye's room with three cups of water taken from Jason's makeshift vapor collector. "Hey Raye, what are these?" she asked, holding up the papers.

Raye swallowed a gulp of icy water. "Ah, I see you found my ofuda scrolls."

"Huh?"

"Ofuda scrolls." Raye set aside her empty tea cup and took the papers from Serena. "Remember the day we met?"

"I remember you smacking me in the forehead."

"Well, the thing I hit you with was a scroll from the shrine. See, these scrolls are used for a bunch of different things, which I learned growing up as a shrine maiden.

"Remember how Jason said growing up so close to the Cherry Hill Anomaly changed me? Turns out it did more than just screw with Zoisite's ability to detect me. Somehow, it gave me some kind of extra powers, so now I can do stuff I couldn't do in the old days."

"What kind of powers?" Serena asked. Lita leaned in, listening intently.

"I don't know what it's called, but I can channel my ability through physical objects and do different things with it. Right now, the best use of it is to paralyze some targets by tagging them with these scrolls."

"Oh, I get it! Kind of like freeze tag," Serena said, understanding.

"If that's how you want to look at it. Jason thinks I might be able to do more with it, so we've been working on it while I heal." She held up a scroll. "I channel my power through these scrolls because they're so familiar that it's easier for me to focus on them in a fight."

"Cool. Can you show us?"

Raye thought for a second. "Sure." With a flick of her wrist, the girl launched one of the scrolls. The paper shot through the air… and stuck to Serena's head.

"Hey!" Serena cried out in surprise. "I… I can't move!"

Lita reached over and tugged on her arm. "Your muscles are all locked up. Looks like all you can do is talk, breathe, and keep your heart going."

"Like I said, we're working on it," Raye told her.

"Okay, we've seen how it works, now could you please get this thing off me?" Serena said irritably.

"Hold on, I want to try something." Lita placed her water cup on Serena's motionless head.

Raye laughed. "Here, put this on top," she said, handing Lita the empty cookie box. Lita placed the box on top of the cup and the two Sailor Scouts looked around for more stuff.

"Aw, come on, guys, this isn't funny!" Serena protested in vain. "Guys! Guys?"


	4. A Deal Between Friends

Zoisite's footsteps echoed down the long, bare hallway, sounding hollow and lonely in the dim light. The creature paid no attention to the noise. A servant hurried past, carrying a tray filled with food, but Zoisite didn't even see her. It was too busy thinking.

Zoisite's twin brains blazed in a dance of synaptic fury. Within the safety of its mind, the two-bodied being poured over every word of the conversation it had just had with Tridymite. Now it was on its way to Stop #3 of tonight's little adventure.

Stepping off the top step of a towering dark crystal stairway, Zoisite's male body did a quick about-face, thinking maybe someone was following him. Only silence met his ears, and only the cold, harsh structure of the landscape met his eyes. After a long moment, Zoisite turned back and focused its attention on the door before it. Gathering his strength, Zoisite wrenched the heavy handle downward and pushed the door inward. Inside he found the man he was looking for.

Quartzite was a stocky, angular humanoid with piercing eyes and six fingers on each hand. His dirty, faded uniform clashed with his otherwise clean appearance. On his head was a buzz-cut forest of shiny black hair through which two streaks of iridescent blue cut harshly, running from his hairline across the top of his head, down the back, and terminating at the base of his skull.

In the days before the firing of the Oblivion Spheres, Quartzite had been an equipment handler of middling rank. While not the most competent of Negaverse inhabitants, the man had been a hard worker and had progressed through the ranks steadily. His most notable talent was his uncanny ability to "encounter" special pieces of equipment, including more than a few devices and weapons from the Remnants. Zoisite recalled him once expressing a desire to capture Lightstorm and appropriate the mechanisms that generated the Champion's powers.

Before he could, however, the last day of the Final Desolation arrived, and Quartize became one of the "lucky" few to survive. Since then, he had stepped up and continued his trade, proclaiming himself the quartermaster of Negaverse operations. Unfortunately, due to the current dismal state of Negaverse resources, he could no longer conduct business in the same way he had in years past. Instead, he dealt primarily in drone modifications.

Primarily.

"Ah, the telepathic freak," Quartzite welcomed Zoisite, his low voice rumbling pleasantly. Zoisite ignored the insult; that was just how Quartzite greeted people. "I take it Jadeite's got you back for more parts?"

"Not this time," Zoisite said lightly. "Just thought I'd drop by for a visit." He held up a pair of glucose sticks, Quartzite's favorite snack.

For the next half hour, Zoisite and Quartzite talked of trivialities as they chewed on their snacks. They laughed at the misfortunes of others, badmouthed people they both hated, and discussed all the things they would do if one of them someone got some real power.

At last Zoiste chewed up the last of his stick and stuffed the wrapper into the pocket of his grey uniform. "I was wondering. Do you still run that little side business of yours?"

Quartzite set down his own stick. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm working on a… _personal_ project, and I need a few things."

"And these things can't be gotten through normal channels?"

"It would be better for everyone involved if they weren't."

Quartzite nodded understandingly. "You know I never make promises, Zoi. What all do you need?"

"Everything on this list." Zoisite handed him a scrap of paper (or what was used as paper in the Negaverse.)

Quartzite scanned the list. "Are you sure you need _all_ of this?"

"Everything. How soon can you get it all?"

"I don't know." Quartzite folded up the list and slid it into his pocket. "Some of this stuff is going to attract some serious attention unless we're careful. Which brings me to my next point…"

"Yes, yes, we'll worry about your fees later. Just get on it as soon as you can."

"No guarantees." That was Quartzite's way of ending a discussion.

Zoisite strode out of Quartzite's corner of the Negaverse with a slight smile on both faces. Both bodies took off and flew down the staircase, gliding smoothly through the corridors. Maybe today wouldn't be such a bad day after all.

"Zoisite."

Zoisite paused in midair, groaning inwardly. "Do you need something?" it asked through gritted teeth.

Jadeite emerged from the depths of the corridor, hovering a few inches above the floor. Stitches and medical wrappings adorned his body, but he didn't seem to notice. His crossed arms and furrowed brow gave Zoisite an unpleasant feeling. "When I need you, I expect you to be easily found.

Biting its tongues, Zoisite suppressed an insult. The last time it had let itself slip it had woken up minus a few teeth. "My… apologies. Do you need my services?"

"Suit up. We're headed back to M-Space."

"How are we collecting energy this time?"

"We're not."


	5. Reflections Over A Milkshake

Mina swallowed a mouthful of milkshake, sinking further into the booth as she did so. The cold drink helped take her mind off her troubles. Feeling a little more relaxed, she turned up the volume of her pocket police scanner, adjusted her ear buds, and went back to thinking.

The girl had never thought of herself as antisocial or abrasive, but now she was beginning to rethink her opinion. Even with Jason training the other Sailor Scouts, the team wasn't burdened with an overabundance of professionalism. For the most part they still seemed to act like normal girls, with all the poor conduct that that involved. Was it too much to ask for a bit of decent behavior on the job from the city's guardians?

Jason was a different story. The old man, despite being helpful in almost every way, seemed a bit _too_ professional. Sure, he was invaluable when it came to training, and polite enough (if not overly talkative) when spoken to, but there was something about him that didn't seem quite right.

Maybe it was the way he carried himself with an almost imperceptive air of one who has killed. Maybe it was the strange note that crept into his voice when one asked too many questions about his past. Or maybe it was the intangible weight that seemed to settle over you when he looked you in the eye. Whatever it was, it was hard to fault him for it, but Mina still didn't care for it.

And then there was Tuxedo Mask. Mina closed her eyes as she sipped her milkshake. Upon further reflection, maybe Jason was right. As much as she knew about Lightstorm, she knew even less about Mask. It _was_ rather convenient how he always managed it show up at just the right times, and it didn't help that he disappeared just as quickly when he was no longer needed. Could he really be a bad guy, or a self-serving third party? Mina massaged her temples. It wasn't the milkshake that made her head throb.

Mina felt her thoughts drifting back, back to the good old days. The days where a bad guy was a bad guy and a hero was a hero. The days when everything had been so wonderfully simple.

Four years. That's how long she had flown solo. For four exciting, incredible years, Mina Aino had prowled the streets, invisibly protecting the good citizens of the city from all things dark and unsavory. A smile crept across her lips as she felt the memories come flooding back.

As a child, she had always wanted to leave the city and see the world on an adventure. She would have liked to have gone to another country, maybe even learned a new language. Privately, she had always wanted to go to London and visit Baker Street, and see the place where Sherlock Holmes lived, just like in the stories her mother had read to her every night before bed.

But Artemis had changed everything. The day the white cat had shown up on her doorstep, Mina had been plunged into a world more wonderful, brilliant, insane, fantastic, horrifying, and amazing than she could have possibly imagined. No longer was she the dreamy ten-year-old who longed for things she couldn't have. Suddenly she was a superpowered champion of justice from a forgotten age fighting crime in the streets of her beloved city.

It hadn't been easy. Keeping to the shadows hurt her performance as often as it helped, and many times she had been forced to compromise on assignments in order to avoid detection. But in spite of all the danger, pain, fear, and sleepless nights, she finally had an adventure to call her own, and even now, as she sat in the booth of the ice cream parlor, she knew that there was nothing else she would rather be.

Until the others had come along. Now, Mina found herself thinking more and more of her lone wolf days, longing for simpler times. Alone, she could operate far more effectively, but having six other people to coordinate with felt slow and inefficient. Was it too late to splinter off and go solo again? Should she abandon her new friends over a slight disagreement on procedures?

Suddenly she sat up straight. She gave the volume control a sharp press and listened closely.

Over her police scanner, she heard a call go out to investigate a small disturbance. An old lady had reported seeing a large animal lurking around her house. Alarm bells went off in Mina's head, and her eyes narrowed.

The officer responding to the call sounded bored and exasperated, but said he'd check it out. The call ended.

Mina felt her heart start racing. Could the large animal be a drone? If so, what could the Negaverse be up to this time? Slurping up the last of her milkshake, she pulled her ear buds out of her ears, slid out of the both, and strode out the door.

Glancing around to make sure no one would hear, Mina headed for a quiet spot and rolled back her sleeve. On her wrist was a sleek orange-and-white digital comm watch. Mina started to call the others, but something made her pause.

Why should she bother the Scouts over something so trivial? The police call was probably nothing, she reasoned to herself. Everyone would be mad at her if she got them all riled up over nothing. Why not see what it was first? After all, she could always call them later if she needed to.

Mina silently congratulated herself on her reasoning. Quickly, she looked around to make sure no one could see her. Then she summoned her TAG and whispered "Venus Power".

Sailor Venus soared into the sky, her chains gleaming in the brilliant sunlight. A brilliant burst of laughter escaped her. This wasn't a job for the Sailor Scouts. This was a job for Sailor Venus, and no one else.


	6. Divided We Stand

Jason's fingers flew across the large, futuristic-looking keyboard, his eyes never leaving the array of monitors in front of him. At long last, the computer was complete. All that was left was to run some final diagnostics.

"Are you quite sure this was all necessary?" A voice called from the entrance to the room.

"Yes," Jason replied tersely. "If we're going to protect this city, we need a way to track enemy movements."

Luna jumped up on the console and peered at some of the readouts on the screens. "And just how do you plan to do that with this ghastly thing?"

"By tapping into the city's surveillance systems. If Jadeite, Zoisite, or any Negaverse agent we catalogue gets caught on camera without concealment, we'll know. We'll also be able to detect drone activity by monitoring local data feeds. Any unusual reports will be detected by this computer and sent directly to my phone."

"At least you're putting your science skills to better use than that costume of yours."

"Additionally, I've uploaded a virus that will automatically delete any footage of Sailor Scout transformations. That should give them some breathing room."

Luna looked away from the screens and at Jason. "That was rather considerate of you. It's not always easy to find quiet corners in the City of Eyes."

"I've noticed that humans seem to enjoy sacrificing their freedom in exchange for the promise of safety. However, there are times when their paranoia can be advantageous."

A notification appeared on the central monitor. All systems were performing at optimal capacity. Jason entered a command.

Suddenly three areas of the city lit up. Jason's brow furrowed slightly, his fingers all but a blur as they blazed across the computer keys.

"What the devil is that?" Luna asked, a sinking feeling forming in her stomach.

"Movement." Jason pulled up some local feeds. Jadeite's injured face appeared in a window, freezing as the computer confirmed his identity.

"Bloody hell…" Luna breathed.

"Sailor Venus, do you copy?" Jason called, ignoring Luna.

After a few moments, Mina's voice emanated from the computer. "Yeah, I'm here. What's up?"

"We have Negaverse activity. Transform and move to intercept."

"I heard there was something weird going on in one of the districts. Am I headed in the right direction?"

Jason pulled up Mina's location and extrapolated her direction of travel. "Affirmative. I'm also seeing movement in-" Jason listed the districts that were listed by the computer. "Don't expect reinforcements right away."

"Got it. V out." The call went dead.

###

Jason strode through the corridors of the base, mentally reviewing the status of every tool and piece of equipment he would be taking into the field. A spare set of armor was waiting for him in one of the storage rooms, but he was most concerned about his grapple gauntlets. The set he was planning to use hadn't been tested as much as he would have liked.

He located the room Raye was recovering in. "Sailor Scouts, the-" Jason cut himself off as he looked into the room.

Serena was frozen in her chair, covered in random objects. Lita appeared to be trying to balance her phone on top of several other objects on Serena's head. Raye was handing her a fistful of pens. All three froze when Jason entered the room, suddenly aware of how they must look.

Lita recovered first. "Uh… we can explain."

Jason ignored her. "The enemy is in the city. We need to go."

"'Bout time!" Raye said, throwing back her blankets. "I've been dying to-" A sharp pain erupted in her side, causing her to double over in pain.

"Take it easy, Raye," Lita told her friend, helping her back into the bed.

Jason handed her a painkiller from his medical kit on the table. "Serena. You're in charge of assigning teams today."

"Huh?"

"It's time you started learning how to manage the Sailor Scouts."

"Okay, but could somebody unfreeze me now?" Serena ignored the look on Raye's face.

"Oh, sure." Lita tore the scroll off Serena's head. Serena stood up, causing everything on her to crash to the floor.

Jason handed Serena his phone. On the screen was a display of the hotspots he had pulled up on the computer. "Where do we go?"

Serena frowned at the phone. "Uh… okay, this one's pretty close to Amy's place, so she can get that one… Lita, can you help her out with that?"

"Sure, Moon."

"Looks like Mina's got that one, so I guess you and I can take this one, right Jason?"

"Suit up. We move in three." Jason retrieved his phone and exited the room.

"It's not fair," Raye grumbled. "How come you guys get to go fight monsters and I have stay here?"

"Because you exploded in a subway?" Lita pointed out.

"Don't remind me."

Serena struck a pose, feeling a rush of adrenalin (if it was adrenalin) flash through her body. Her heart began to race as she shouted the familiar phrase. "MOON PRISM POWER! ! !" The girl's body exploded with energy, transforming from Ground State into Combat Mode. In a moment it was over.

"Is that the best you've got?" Lita grinned dangerously. She struck her own pose. "Sailor Jupiter… TRANSFOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORM! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"

Lightning blasted out of Lita. Thunder crashed through the stark halls of the base, booming in a cascade of sound and fury. Serena held her hand up against the energy surge, turning away as she did so. In a moment it was over, and Sailor Jupiter stood before them.

"Good hunting, Moon." Lita clapped Serena on the shoulder as she jogged out the door, jamming a toothpick in her teeth.

Serena turned to follow, but Raye called her back for a moment. "Serena… don't die out there. Okay?"

Serena smiled. "Sure thing, Raye."

Jason was waiting for her when she entered the base's garage. "Are you ready?"

Serena hesitated. She felt her breath growing shorter, and her heart beginning to race. Such things happened to her when her thoughts drifted toward battle, and she tried to think of something else. But then she remembered Tuxedo Mask, and his willingness to come to her aid whenever she was in danger. And then she looked at Lightstorm. The black, ninja-like armor suited the hero well, shrouding him in an aura of danger and mystery. As her eyes wandered across his twin grapple gauntlets, his utility belt, and his ever-present staff, Serena felt her heart slowing and her breathing return to normal. "Let's do this."

The motorcycle's engine roared as Jason pressed the accelerator. Serena tightened her grip around Jason's body as the bike shot forward toward the hidden exit. Wind rushed past her as the bike picked up speed, and she felt a little better. Maybe today wouldn't be so boring after all.


	7. Jadeite's Buried Treasure

The city street bustled with activity. Citizens clogged the sidewalks, their minds filled with their tasks for the day as they hurried to their jobs. The smell of exhaust and cold coffee hung heavy in the air. All in all, just another dreary day in the City of Eyes.

Suddenly, movement in the sky caught the attention of one of the pedestrians. Quickly, he nudged his companion and pointed to the orange streak in the sky. His friend looked up, but the streak was already gone.

Sailor Venus chained through the city skyline with skill exceeding that of an Olympic gymnast. Effortlessly, she thrust her hand out and grappled onto the side of a building, whipping forward in an orange blur. Without missing a beat, she repeated the action with her opposite hand as she shot ever faster toward her destination.

Tokyo was a big place, bigger than a lot of people realized. Getting from Point A to Point B could be a real challenge, especially when the Negaverse was on the move. Of course, it helped that everyone had their own way of getting around this. Mars had her rocket-running (and had learned to run over the tops of cars if need be), Mercury had her ice slides, Jupiter had a near-encyclopedic knowledge of shortcuts around the city, Jason had his motorcycle, Moon often rode with Jason, and Mask… well, Mina didn't really know how he got around.

But in terms of speed, nothing beat her energized chains. The chains could lock onto foreign surfaces, meaning that Mina could use them to traverse the city skyline with ease. Granted, she drew more attention than anyone would have liked, but she preferred speed over stealth after four years of hiding. And her efforts were rewarded as she saw the landscape slowly change as she approached her destination.

Quickly, Mina whipped around behind some buildings to break the line of sight for whoever might be watching. Landing with a quiet _thud_, she continued on foot, mentally screening out the noise of the massive construction site in the middle distance.

The police had long since come and gone. Mina knew they'd just taken a quick look to get the old lady to stop complaining, so they had probably missed something. Not that she was complaining.

The soccer field looked just like any other. Mina gave it a once-over with a discerning eye, scanning for abnormalities. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, aside from the nest of giant sparrow bees that someone had forgotten to spray. Mina turned to go search elsewhere. But as she crossed the goal line, something caught her eye. Kneeling down, she furrowed her brow as her brain began to race.

It hadn't rained for awhile. The grass outside the soccer field was dry and brittle, but the grass inside the field was lush and full. Mina's eyes narrowed. The Negaverse had proven to be unpredictable before. Could they have… Kneeling down, Mina closed her eyes, extended her hands, and bowed her head.

Long, thin chains emerged from Mina's hands. The metallic tendrils writhed in the air for a moment as Mina acclimated herself to their feel. Then she directed the chains down into the ground and out of sight.

Mina felt the chains burrowing down into the earth, still not entirely sure what she was looking for. Consciously, she knew that the field was probably artificially watered, but something in her gut told her the situation wasn't what it seemed. She had developed the feeling during her years as the silent protector of the city, and she had learned to trust it. Though it wasn't an actual power, Artemis jokingly called it her "Venus Vibe", and Mina had developed it to almost supernatural levels. Whenever it went off, Mina had learned to listen, and right now it was echoing through her head like a fire alarm.

A few civilians saw her where she knelt, pointing and asking each other if they really saw what they thought they were seeing. Mina barely noticed them; her mind was too busy receiving input from the chains in the ground. All of a sudden, she felt a chain bump into something large and dense.

Quickly, Mina directed her other chains to it and began to explore its structure. Soon she encountered a second object. Then a third. Then a fourth. Curious, Mina prodded one of the objects with a chain.

Suddenly the ground erupted in front of her, sending a blast of earth and rock flying into the sky. Mina flew off the ground, back flipping just in time to land on her feet.

Four drones exploded out of the earth, roaring and screeching furiously. Mina identified them as lightweight shitennou-class. The beasts must have been stashed under the field for later use, waiting to be activated for who knew what. One of the drones swung its massive head toward Mina, its six eyes narrowing angrily. A slight whine pierced the air as the drone's weapon charged up.

Mina chained into the air, the ground exploding under her as she did so. In a flash, she twisted around and fired. The beam slammed into the drone, driving it back. The other three leapt forward, raising their weapons. Mina chained a tree and pulled away.

A hot beam sliced through the back of Mina's neck, charring the skin instantly. Agony spiked through her skull, shattering her concentration. The ground rushed up at her, jarring her bones as she crashed ungracefully into a tangled heap.

Loud roaring echoed off the nearby buildings. Mina glanced up. A drone had leapt into the air and was barreling down from above, claws extended. Mina rolled to the side. Metal claws smashed into the ground just inches from her head. With the back of her hand, Mina fired a beam straight into its face, firing a chain with her other hand and grappling away just before the second and third drones ripped her apart.

Not since the Battle of Jupiter's Activation (as the Scouts had come to call it) had Mina felt so shaken, so outmatched, so… _alive_. Energy bolts clipped the side of her head as she maneuvered through the air, but she didn't care. With adrenalin racing through her veins and death hiding inside a moment's error, it was just like the old days, and at that moment, she knew there was no place she's rather be.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted civilians screaming and running for cover. A bolt flashed in front of her face as she back flipped out of harm's way, returning fire and considering. The field wasn't her ideal battleground. The scarcity of available surfaces hindered her maneuverability, endangering civilians by allowing the drones to operate longer. If only there was someplace she could go where she could…

The construction site! Yes, the mass of steel beams would be perfect for maneuvering, and would severely slow down the drones and obstruct their fire. Her lips stretched back in a fierce grin, Sailor Venus planted all six chains on the ground and propelled herself into the air, firing madly as she did so. "CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, ASSHOLES!" she screamed, laughing wildly. The drones moved to follow, lumbering after her as Mina raced for the construction site.


	8. Cryoshock

The world of metal and concrete sped by in a blur of sweat and adrenalin. Sailor Jupiter tightened her teeth around the toothpick in her mouth as she poured even more speed into her body. People stopped to stare as the green-and-white Sailor Scout rushed past them, but she didn't care. She was having too much fun.

It was one thing for Lita to trace while in her Ground State. It was quite another to do it while powered by her Combat Mode. Running wasn't exactly easy given the footwear her Combat Mode came with (causing Lita to wonder just how much the people of the Silver Millenium Moon Kingdom had cared about aesthetic value), but she had learned to adjust. The power level alone made it worth it. With the enhanced muscles in her body, she could run far faster than she ever could have hoped with her Ground State. Buildings could be scaled with only a few leaps and bounds. And if she built up enough speed on a rooftop and forced everything she had into her legs, she could backflip over an entire street with a single jump.

But all of her new speed was nothing next to Raye's rocket-running. Sailor Mars was by far the swiftest of the Scouts in terms of foot travel, leading Serena to nickname her "The Master of the Faster". However, her technique had its drawbacks. Because she possessed none of the secondary abilities of a true speedster, Raye had to deal with inertia and g-forces while running. Turning required a ludicrously wide open area, and braking involved firing flame jets from her front instead of her back, blinding her and leaving her vulnerable to attack as she slowed down. So Lita didn't envy her friend for her superior speed. As far as she was concerned, less speed and more maneuverability was a better deal any day. As if prove her point to herself , she launched herself from the lid of a dumpster, pushed off from the side of a building next to the alley, and pulled herself up onto the roof of the opposite structure, not even breaking a sweat.

Sailor Mercury sat on a rooftop in direct sightline of her home building. "Hey, Merc!" Lita called, jogging up to her. "Ready to kick some ass?"

"I was hoping for a nice quiet day of studying," Amy replied, stuffing the pocket-sized paperback she had been reading into her pocket as she stood up. "It's not exactly easy to do the homework of three people and maintain my own academic quality."

"Yeah, that sucks, but at least you're getting paid," Lita shrugged. "Anyway, we gotta move. Those drones aren't going to kill each other, you know."

"A shame."

The hot zone wasn't far from Amy's place, and before long, Sailors Mercury and Jupiter found themselves prone on the roof of a nearby building. "So what are we looking for?" Jupiter asked, her eyes scanning the busy street below.

Amy pulled out her phone. "Jason's computer detected Zoisite's face on a security feed in this area."

"Which one, the ugly one or the one with the bad haircut?"

"The male one. It goes without saying that Zoisite could do some real damage to ordinary humans even without drones."

"What do you see?"

The visor made a slight _vvp_ noise as it deployed over Amy's eyes. The blue Sailor Scout scanned her surroundings. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary. All those people are just ordinary humans."

"What about these buildings? Anything interesting in them?"

Amy squinted as she zoomed in further. "No, nothing."

Lita chewed it over. "Alright, I'll make a sweep down-"

"Wait." Amy focused on a structure down the street that was closed for renovations. "I'm getting some strange readings from that building over there." She pointed it out.

Lita dropped into a crouch as she and Amy approached the building. With one smooth move she leapt across the gap onto the building's roof. Amy created an ice bridge and followed.

"Hey! Want to crawl in through the air ducts like in the movies?" Lita asked with a slight grin, gesturing to some vents.

Amy blinked. "Those ventilation shafts are probably far too small for us to fit through."

"Right." Lita smiled tightly and turned away.

Amy's visor revealed an open window on the far side of the building. Silently, Lita slipped through and dropped to one knee, her hands raised to fire lightning at a moment's notice. Amy followed close behind, her boots making a quiet-yet-annoying footfall on the hard floor. After clearing the room they found themselves in, Lita motioned forward with two fingers.

As quietly as they could, the two Sailor Scouts crept down the hall, their eyes and ears straining for the slightest trace of danger. Before long, the harsh voice of Zoisite's male body began to grate against their eardrums.

"How much longer do you idiots _need_?" Zoisite demanded. "This thing needs to be charged yesterday!" A strange clicking sound rang out in response. "Don't even start with me. If you can't follow my orders, I will personally throw you into the Howling so your replacement can listen to you scream for all eternity." More clicking, subdued this time. "That's better. Now get out of my sight."

Lita and Amy peered over a railing and down into a construction area. Unconsciously, Amy drew back slightly and put her hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in shock. Lita merely narrowed her eyes and bit down on her toothpick.

The building was infested with drones. Some strode about in their monstrous true forms, while others lurched and stalked around in human disguises. Zoisite floated above the drones in a large, wide open area in the center of the building, allowing for a clear view of the building's floors, barking orders at the drones. The drones seemed to have cleared away most of the construction material to make way for their own devices. In one corner was a large pile of half-eaten human corpses, the stench of which made Amy want to vomit. But what really caught her attention was the machine in the center of the room. Wires fed into it from all directions. At the core was a large spherical device that could only be one thing: a bomb.

One of the drones at the controls looked up at Zoisite and made a barking, wheezing noise.

"No, half isn't good enough. I want this entire cursed city vaporized," Zoisite spat back. The drone made an objecting noise. "Jadeite's not here, so you take orders from _me_, got it?" The drone lowered its head in submission and went back to work.

Lita slunk back and signaled Amy in close. "Alright, here's the plan: I'll take Ugly and his mooks. You get the bomb. Sound good?" Amy seemed too shocked to respond. Quietly, Lita snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Hey! You there?"

"What? Oh, yes," Amy said, coming out of it. "My visor shows those cables are drawing in energy from the people in all the buildings on this block to charge the bomb. If I can disconnect them, we should be able to dispose of it safely."

"Hoo-rah."

"What are you going to do?"

"This." Lita picked up a brick and slunk away. When she was out of sight with Amy, she stood up and threw the brick with all her might.

The brick slammed into the back of Zoisite's head, shattering instantly. Zoisite began to fall, but caught himself and whirled around in a flash, eyes blazing.

Lita leaned against a pillar with her arms folded. "Sup."

Zoisite bared his teeth in a blind fury. Unleashing a guttural roar, he raised a hand and blasted a beam of green fire at Lita.

"Woah!" Lita jumped away just in time, feeling the skin on the back of her legs singe slightly. Rolling up into a crouch, she sprinted away.

"KILL THE SCOUT!" Zoisite ordered. Several of the drones leapt into the air, their massive claws carving deep gashes into the walls as they scaled the inside of the building.

Lita sprinted through the hallways, firing her lighting and making as much noise as possible. She rounded a corner and kept going. Heavy footsteps reached her ears, and she smiled slightly. Vaulting over a stack of concrete blocks, she rounded another corner and found herself face-to-face with a drone.

Before she could stop, the drone scooped her up in its massive paw. Air rushed out of Lita's lungs as she felt her ribcage being crushed. With one smooth move, the drone turned and threw Lita as hard as it could.

Lita crashed through a large plate-glass window, senselessly spinning head-over-heels as she plummeted into the street below. Suddenly, she smashed into a parked pickup truck, feeling several things crack and several more things dislocate as she did.

"Oooooh…" Lita groaned. A roar tore through the air. Lita glanced up. Drones were taking up position in the building to fire down on her, Zoisite at the front. Adrenalin rushed through her body. Popping her shoulder back into place, Lita rolled to the side and down off the truck, ignoring the screams of the panicked civilians around her. Lighting blasted from her hands as she lifted the truck into the air. Before the drones could open fire, she launched the truck with all her strength.

The truck smashed into the drones, barely missing Zoisite. Lita closed one eye. Before the drones could react, Lita launched another lightning bolt straight into the truck's gas tank.

A deafening explosion erupted. Not waiting for the enemy to recover, Lita uprooted a streetlight with her powers and quickly formed into a massive harpoon. As she charged forward with her new weapon, the mad grin on her lips and the heavy metal pounding through her head told her that she would never be a normal person. And she was okay with that.


End file.
